"Spokane Man Sentenced To 5 Years In Federal Prison For Possessing Firearm And Ammunition"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 17, 2014

Spokane – Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Jacob L. Peckham, age 25, of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced today for being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Chief United States District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Peckham to a five-year term of imprisonment and a three-year term of court supervision following release from Federal prison.

According to information disclosed during court proceedings, while on routine patrol on June 18, 2013, a Spokane Police Department officer observed Peckham riding a bicycle at the intersection of Empire and Cincinnati Streets. At the time, Peckham was the subject of three outstanding arrest warrants. As the officer pursued Peckham in his patrol car, he observed Peckham abandon his bicycle and backpack, and flee on foot. The officer apprehended Peckham a short distance away and arrested him. A Spokane Police Department sergeant searched Peckham incident to arrest and recovered one round of .38 caliber ammunition in Peckham's right front pants pocket. Members of the Spokane Police Department's Patrol Anti-Crime Team (PACT) arrived and recovered the bicycle and backpack. PACT members searched the area where Peckham had fled, suspecting he discarded a firearm. An officer found a fully-loaded Smith & Wesson, model 19, .357 caliber revolver in foliage approximately ten feet away from where Peckham had abandoned his backpack. When officers told Peckham they found a firearm, Peckham blurted, "Man, I'm carrying that for protection." Peckham was charged with being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and he pleaded guilty to that crime on December 13, 2013.

Michael C. Ormsby said, "Prosecuting firearms-related crimes continues to be a priority for the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington. Previously convicted felons should be aware that there are serious criminal penalties connected with possessing a firearm and ammunition and that this Office is committed to prosecuting aggressively firearm-related cases in the Eastern District of Washington."

This case was investigated by the Spokane Police Department, Spokane Police Department Patrol Anti-Crime Team, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This case was prosecuted by George J.C. Jacobs, III, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.